‘Historic moment’: Saudis flock to buy Ronaldo shirts after Al Nassr deal

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP): Crowds flocked to a football kit store in Riyadh to buy Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club jersey after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner penned a two-year contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr.

Abdulmohsen al-Ayyban, 41, and his nine-year old son, Nayef, were among those queueing at Al Nassr club’s official kit store where clerks where busy pressing Ronaldo’s name onto t-shirts.

“We are witnessing a historic moment,” al-Ayyban told AFP of the deal which he believes “will elevate the Saudi football league”.

Ronaldo on Friday signed for Al Nassr until June 2025 in a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros.

A wide smile stretched across Nayef’s face as he proudly held his new jersey aloft.

For the young Saudi, a dream has come true.

Ronaldo, 37, is expected to appear before fans next Thursday, an official from the Al Nassr club told AFP.

For Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo is the latest high-priced sporting jewel acquired to add lustre to their international image.

At home, the deal further fuelled national fervour that spiked after the kingdom defeated eventual winners Argentina in the early stages of the 2022 World Cup, a victory hailed as one of greatest shocks in the tournament’s history.

An unprecedented rush at the Al Nassr kit store started as soon as reports of the deal were leaked to the local press on Friday night — hours before the official announcement.

Ronaldo heads to the Gulf after a year that saw him relegated to the bench for Portugal and cut adrift by Manchester United.

United parted ways with the Portuguese star after the veteran forward gave an explosive TV interview in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for coach Erik ten Hag.

United terminated his contract while Ronaldo was with Portugal at the World Cup.